Research on suicidal

Has anyone won this way?

from GalCiv2 Forums
I recently won my first suicidal game. I did it by putting most of my ability points into diplomacy, aggressively researching diplomacy techs, allying with anyone I could and trading for all the tech I needed.

By not building research facilities I could have more factories and keep up with the AI manufacturing bonuses.

It was a hollow victory though because I had to betray all my allies in turn, as soon as a civ lost the majority of their fleet I would swoop in with very fast transports and high soldiering skills and take all the planets I could.

Has anyone ever kept up with the AI research on Suicidal? I could barely do it on crippling. I heard somewhere that the AI gets a 200% bonus on suicidal and a 125% on crippling. This can't be correct, at least regarding research points.

On my last crippling game I had a precursor lab on my home planet, I bought a lab and set research spending at 50%. The Drengin still outresearched me about 5:1 for the first 10 turns or so whilst rolling out dozens of colony ships.

On suicidal The AI usually has planetary improvements, trade, space militarisation, galactic warfare, basic miniturisation, basic logistics and xeno factories by the time I have universal translators.

I think it's impossible to beat the AI at this level whilst using "normal" strategies. but I'd really like to know if anyone has managed to do it.
4,808 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I meant precursor library in line 8, sorry.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Has anyone ever kept up with the AI research on Suicidal?


No.

I have had precursor library (700%), 2x300% tiles, tech capital, plus 16 eco bases boosting research, rest of tiles labs. Producing 6000+ beakers a turn and still the AI's were out researching me on suicidal...I don't think it can be done. Yr better letting the AI's do yr research for u and concentrating on economic/diplomacy/military/influence game (take yr pick, mix & match), its hard work still, not a hollow victory by any means.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks Meglobob. In my current game I set research to very fast and turned off tech victory condition. Hopefully this will minimise the number of turns when I'm at a tech disadvantage and after an hour or so all teams will be on an even footing shooting black holes at each other.

I assume this mean it's impossible to win a tech victory on suicidal unless you crush your opposition down to 2-3 planets and reduce their research production to zero.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
In my second attempt at suicidal I managed to grab more planets than everybody but the Drengin who got a small handful more, I completely filled them with research labs and put my research slider to 100%. That only put me 6th out of 9 in research. The Drengin had twice as much research as me and still rising rapidly when I quit. So no, I don't think it's possible to keep up!

Either trade for it or go to war early and keep invading at a rapid pace, otherwise you're screwed techwise.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
think it's impossible to beat the AI at this level whilst using "normal" strategies


I'm playing a 1.3beta 3X, suicidal, large map, 3 opponents, abundant stars, planets,and habitable planets, tech trading off -- game right now. I should win it -- it is around 5-1-2228 and the Yor took out the Drath a bit ago.

The Yor have a military rating of 150 and mine is a bit over 200 -- the Iconians are the other civ and their military rating is around 60. From what I see of the Yor fleets, I could pretty much attack any time now. Their fleets are around 250 offense and a little defense -- mine are 900+ offense.

I had the center starting position and was able to grab 44 planets in the colonizing phase -- the Yor got about that many, the Drath about 35, the Iconians about 25. I did manage to gat the majority of the resources -- the only morale resource, 4 research resources, 2 economic resources, 2 military resources, and 3 influence resources -- which has been the key to my eventually catching up and passing the AI.

The Yor still out rank me in Technology, 3500 to 2600. But I'm in great position -- Having researched just about everything I need to research. Completely done with Factory, Morale, Diplomatic, Influence, Economic, Lab, Farm, Starbase Fortification, Invasion, Hull, Drives, Sensor, Miniaturization, and Logistics Techs. My missile tech is up to Antimatter, which with my 2 military resources is almost as good as Black Hole Missiles

With update 1.2, I could pretty much win suicidal games on maps that had 16-45 planets/civ every time. But I never tried it with tech trading off.

I'm sure I can not win at suicidal level consistently as of the 1.3 betas but I can still win a good share of the time thru 1.3beta3x. Won 2 times with the 1.3beta2a.